Paris can wait

image for Paris can wait

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Not recommended under 12 due to lack of interest and adult themes

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Paris can wait
  • a review of Paris can wait completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 24 July 2017.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 12 Not recommended due to lack of interest for younger viewers and adult themes
Viewers 12 and over OK for this age group

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Paris can wait
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild themes and occasional course language
Length: 92 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

Anne (Diane Lane) is in Cannes, France with her husband Michael, a very busy and distracted film producer (Alec Baldwin). When Michael flies out to Budapest, Anne decides that she is going to skip Budapest and wait for him in Paris. Jacques (Arnaud Viard), a business acquaintance, offers her a lift to Paris and she tentatively accepts. It soon becomes clear that Jacques has no intention of driving straight to Paris and Anne finds herself, somewhat frustratingly, on a leisurely tour through the beautiful French countryside, sampling delicious food with the suave and flirtatious Frenchman.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Marriage; relationships and infidelity; loss of a child; suicide

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

Nothing of concern

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

There are some scenes in this movie that could disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • When Anne tells someone about the loss of her first son, she is crying and it is an emotional scene.
  • Anne learns that her friend’s brother committed suicide. Once again, this is an emotional scene.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned scenes, children of this age may find the theme of extra-marital infidelity confusing and wish to discuss it with their parents.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Younger children in this age group may also find some of the above-mentioned scenes disturbing or confusing and wish to discuss them with their parents.

Thirteen and overinfo

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Nothing of concern

Product placement

Peugeot cars

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including:

  • Open flirtation, romantic tension and mild sexual innuendo between the two central characters. For example: Anne is suggestively complemented on her ‘lovely legs’.
  • Jacques is seen tucking his shirt into his trousers after a ‘meeting’ with a woman.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is one passionate kiss.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • many scenes of adults drinking wine and at one point getting tipsy
  • cigarette smoking by an adult.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • hell; Christ; bitch; goddamn; jerk

In a nutshell

Paris can wait is a pleasant, meandering travelogue and romantic comedy that shows off the beauty of the French countryside and the national cuisine. It is recommended for viewers over 12 - there is little to disturb younger viewers but under 12s may not find it very interesting and  the themes are more suited to older viewers.

The main message from this movie is that sometimes it is important to take time to enjoy the simple things in life instead of just letting it rush by.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • appreciating the beauty of nature
  • appreciating fine food
  • choosing to remain faithful in relationships

Parents may also wish to discuss marital tension and infidelity, and the loss of a child or a family member.